Wednesday, October 7, 2026 --:--:-- ET
New York 62°F Partly cloudy Los Angeles 78°F Sunny Chicago 55°F Windy
Subscribe
U.S. Edition Est. 2026 Oct. 7, 2026

US News America

Independent reporting for a changing America

Breaking
Michigan Republican Senate Nominee Mike Rogers Calls for End to Tariff War With Canada in New Ad Households Expect 3.9% Inflation Over Next Year, Highest Since May 2023, New York Fed Survey Finds Microsoft and Nvidia to Unveil Surface Laptop Ultra for On-Device AI Agents at San Francisco Event Two-Thirds of Republicans in Competitive Midterm Races Are Distancing Themselves From Trump, Reuters Review Finds Democrat Josh Turek Leads Republican Ashley Hinson 48%-44% in Iowa Senate Race, Suffolk Poll Finds
Politics

Democrat Josh Turek Leads Republican Ashley Hinson 48%-44% in Iowa Senate Race, Suffolk Poll Finds

Democrat Josh Turek leads Republican Ashley Hinson 48% to 44% among likely Iowa voters in a new Suffolk University poll conducted Oct. 1-4, as independents break for Turek and Democrats target a Senate seat in a state Donald Trump won by 13 points in 2024.

By admin Oct. 7, 2026 · 9:45 AM ET 2 min read

Voters seen from behind in line outside a small rural building with American flags, cornfields and grain silos at sunset

Democrat Josh Turek holds a narrow lead over Republican Ashley Hinson in Iowa’s open U.S. Senate race, according to a Suffolk University poll of likely midterm voters conducted Oct. 1-4 and reported by USA Today.

The survey of 500 likely voters put Turek ahead 48% to 44%, with 6% undecided and 2% supporting Libertarian Thomas Laehn. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points, according to USA Today.

Independents give Turek his edge

Turek’s lead came from independent voters, who favored him 58% to 30%, even though Republicans made up a larger share of the sample than Democrats, 39% to 30%, according to the poll. Turek held 96% of Democratic voters, while Hinson held 87% of Republicans.

The result is notable in a state that backed President Donald Trump over Kamala Harris by 13 points in the 2024 presidential election, according to USA Today. In the same poll, Trump was rated favorably by 42% of respondents and unfavorably by 57%. Hinson was viewed favorably by 43% and unfavorably by 48%, while Turek was viewed favorably by 44% and unfavorably by 37%, though 16% of voters said they were undecided about him and 3% said they had not heard of him.

Asked about household costs, 28% of respondents cited grocery prices and 28% cited gas and fuel prices as the economic issues affecting them most, while one in five cited health care, according to USA Today.

A wider midterm map

Iowa is one of several Republican-leaning states Democrats are contesting as they try to gain Senate control, which would require flipping four Republican-held seats while holding their own, according to USA Today. Trump has campaigned in recent days in states Republicans usually carry, including Nebraska on Oct. 5 and a scheduled stop in Texas on Oct. 7, following appearances in Oklahoma, Alabama and Ohio, USA Today reported. The Texas race has drawn similar attention, where Trump is campaigning with Republican Ken Paxton as polling shows a tight contest.

In Iowa’s governor’s race, the same poll showed Democrat Rob Sand leading Republican Zach Lahn 55% to 43%, according to USA Today, in a state that has not elected a Democratic governor in two decades.

Reporting based on coverage by USA Today.

Related Stories